Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters within. Just a fan with an excess of imagination and a penchant for writing thoughts down.

Responses to reviewers:

TwinkleTwinkleI'mAStar: I'm glad you agree with me that they deserve a better love story! Sakura started as my least favorite of team 7 because she was just sooo...ugh. But, She kicked ass and was really amazing during the 4th shinobi war, and my opinion of her changed. She may have started out as a weakling, but most people do. She is a badass woman who raises her kid alone and doesn't take any shit from anyone! I could never write a story about her that had her as anything but amazing! It's good to see other readers recognize her greatness! Thank you for taking the time to review and share!

Rinfantasy: Haha, Naruto has a lot in store for him! I really struggle with his disconnected relationship with Boruto and I don't plan to have that kind of situation happen in my story. My main focus will be Sasu/Saku, but I'm not leaving Naruto and Hinata out of this! Thank you for your words about my Tsunade and Shizune scene. I was a bit worried about them being out of character, but there will probably be some oocness coming up since I'm changing the storyline pretty drastically. :D thank you for your input! I appreciate it!

Chapter 5:

Sakura walked dazedly down the main street of Konoha. After her brief conversation with Tsunade, she had beelined over to her parents to break the news to them. Surprisingly, that had gone much easier than she had anticipated. Her mother had fretted a bit, but she ultimately knew that Sakura would regret not going with Sasuke. That regret would eat at her for the rest of her life with all the "What if"s. Her dad had asked only two questions, "Do you love him enough to give up everything?" "Are you sure?" After she had reassured her parents that she had thought this through, that she was prepared to give up her work at the hospital, and that she was sure she was ready for this, they had calmed down and started planning. Her mother told her not to worry about packing up her things. She would do it for her and no amount of protest from Sakura was able to change her mind. Then her parents had set about planning a final get together with all of her friends so that everyone could say their goodbyes and share their congratulations.

So here she was, walking down the street with nothing to do. Tsunade and Shizune would take care of all her affairs at the hospital, and her parents would take care of packing up her apartment and moving her things...so what was she supposed to do now? The things she had been sure would be extremely complicated and would take at least the full 2 days to get started on, let alone actually do, had been taken out of her hands and now she had time she hadn't anticipated having. The only thing left to do was to inform Naruto...damn.

Sakura was so deep in thought about how to break this all to Naruto that she never noticed the wall until she walked right into it. Before she could even process that there shouldn't be a wall in the middle of the street, an arm reached up and wrapped around her waist, steadying her. As she looked up, green meet obsidian, and a small smile spread across her face.

"You should be watching where you walk."

Those words didn't sound particularly caring, but Sakura could see a few faint lines around his mouth that hinted at hiding a smile. Sasuke's emotionless facade only fooled those who didn't know him well enough. The list of those who knew him well enough was so small that pretty much everyone was fooled. Team 7 knew better. Sasuke was actually a tremendously passionate man. Anyone who knew the Uchiha clan would know that they held a deep well of love within themselves. Their passionate nature was actually the power behind the formation of their kekkei genkai. The Uchiha almost were too emotional. They tamped down on their feelings early in life, with the hope of preventing the kind of catastrophe that had befallen Madara, and then Obito. The sharingan was a double edged sword that could backfire on the possessor if they didn't have the mental fortitude to maintain their moral code. The tamping down of the emotions actually contributed to the problems later. It was like packing your emotions into a powder keg and when it inevitably lit on fire, the explosion was massive.

"I was just thinking Sasuke. I had all these things that I had to get done, and now I have nothing. It's a bit disorienting."

Sasuke gave her a questioning look, and it had Sakura giggling. When he had that look, his head tilted to the side just slightly, and the combination was adorably endearing.

"I've spoken to Tsunade-sama, and she will be taking care of all my hospital work. I've also spoken to my parents and they are going to pack all of my things up and move them to a storage space. Those were the two big things on my to do list before I could leave, and now they have been taken care of. All that's left is telling Naruto and packing my things up for our journey. I was just trying to think about how to break this to Naruto."

"Hnnn"

Sasuke had noticed Sakura slowly walking down the road. She looked to be deeply entrenched in thought, and extremely preoccupied. Sasuke had stood in front of her, expecting her to notice him. When she had failed to do so, and in fact, ran into him, it had slightly surprised him. Whatever she had been thinking about must have been serious for her to fail to notice her surroundings. After her explanation, he could see why she had been so preoccupied. Naruto was probably going to be a big hurdle for them. He was going to be upset and hurt that he was not being invited on this journey with them. They were a team, even if Sasuke had defected for a while. Naruto wouldn't want to be left out of this, no matter what his responsibilities were. The Dobe needed to worry about his own business, and not them.

"Naruto is a dilemma, but not one you have to tackle alone. We will inform him together."

Inner Sakura was bouncing off the walls of her mind. Sasuke had just said they were in this together. TOGETHER. Every hardship of her life was culminating in this miraculous moment right here and now.

"Then we should decide the best way to break this to him. I don't want him to find this out from anyone else. Naruto deserves to hear it from us."

"Naruto deserves to hear what from you?"

They turned as one to face their blonde teammate as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh shit."

-/b/-

Naruto had checked Sasuke's normal haunts. The training ground was empty. The Uchiha ground was empty and kind of creepy. He wasn't even at the monument that Tsunade had erected in honor of the fallen Uchiha clan and Itachi in particular. Just where the hell was that Teme?! Naruto was just getting ready to take a break and grab some ramen when he noticed his pink haired teammate walking down the road. He was getting ready to go invite her for some ramen when he noticed the asshole he had been looking for all day. There he was! He observed Sakura running into Sasuke and the giggle fest that followed...sheesh. Flirting in the middle of the road. Naruto guessed he would invite both of them for ramen!

All thoughts of ramen flew from his mind as he approached them and overheard their conversation.

"...don't want him to find this out from anyone else. Naruto deserves to hear it from us."

"Naruto deserves to hear what from you?"

Naruto really wanted to laugh at the startled look of panic that flashed across Sakura's face and the slight raise of an eyebrow from Sasuke. Yet, the nervousness that permeated the air, and the guilty look that took over Sakura told him that whatever they were about to tell him was not a funny thing. Sakura was the first to break the awkward silence that had descended.

"Naruto! Ummm, why don't we take this conversation somewhere private?"

"Is it that bad of a thing you need to share?"

Sasuke butted in and delivered a place to go.

"Training ground 3. Let's go."

Sasuke quickly shunshined, and his teammates followed after him. It didn't take long for them to arrive, and they were glad to find it empty. Sakura was fidgeting nervously while Sasuke just stared at Naruto steadily. For his part, Naruto tried to look relaxed. He had no idea what these two were about to tell him, but it obviously was something they were worried about his reaction to. Not only had Sakura suggested they take it to a private area, but Sasuke had suggested the team training ground from their genin days. This would indicate that they had upsetting news that might have him reacting badly. Well, best to just get this over with, whatever it was.

"Alright, we're here. What do you need to tell me about?"

"Well, Naruto, Sasuke is leaving on a journey…"

"Yeah yeah. I know all about it. He thinks he has to make up for being a stupid Teme and making poor choices. That's old news."

"Shut up and listen Dobe. Don't interrupt."

"Ugh, fine. Please continue Sakura."

"As I was saying, Sasuke is leaving on a journey, and I offered to go with him...and he said alright."

Naruto stared at Sakura blankly for a moment. She had offered to travel with him, again, and this time he agreed to it? There was a dual response in Naruto. Half of him was thrilled for his teammates. Sakura was going to be with the man she obviously loved, loved enough to leave the village and hospital behind. Sasuke was finally acknowledging Sakura and moving forward with his life, the way his family would have wanted him to. The other half of him was hurt and upset. He had finally managed to bring Sasuke back to the village, and brought team 7 together again. Now it was going to be torn in half. He wanted to spend more time together before that happened. He didn't want to have to say goodbye to his friends again!

Yet, Naruto had learned a few things from the last couple years. You couldn't make someone else do what you wanted. People had to make their own choices, whether you agreed or not. Goodbyes were really only see you laters. Even death was only a separation of sorts, and you'd be reunited on the other side. Lastly, Naruto understood that the happiness of his friends and family was more important to him than his own. He knew that Sakura had been in love with Sasuke since their academy days, and she desperately wanted to go with him in the past. This was finally her chance to be with him. Sasuke on the other hand preferred to be alone. So for him to accept her presence on his journey was a huge deal. Naruto had long suspected that Sasuke held feelings for Sakura, feelings he wasn't willing to pursue before. If he had agreed to bring her with him, then he must have decided he was ready to see where those feelings would take them.

A lot of people over the years had treated Naruto like he was an non-observant idiot. He had proved them right on several occasions, but it was different when it came to his team. His powers of observation seemed limited to Team 7. He had noticed the loneliness and heartbreak in Sasuke, as well as the confusion and anger. He had noticed the underlying emotional turmoil that a lot of their friends had missed. He noticed how much time Kakashi spent at the memorial stone when he thought no one would know. He'd also seen the photo of his old team Kakashi carried, hidden in the folds of his Icha Icha book. The smiling faces of Obito, Rin, and Minato were a great contrast to Kakashi's bored, cloth covered face. As for Sakura, Naruto had noticed all the extra training she had put in to make sure he and Sasuke didn't leave her behind. He'd also noticed the constant melancholy that had hanging over her these last few months. She pasted on a smile and was always joking around and trying to act normal, but Naruto wasn't fooled. You couldn't fool someone who had perfected a fake smile and cheerfulness. Team 7 and everything they had been through had helped Naruto become the shinobi he was today. He would probably still be pulling stupid pranks and trying to get people to acknowledge him if it weren't for them.

He owed it to them to use his knowledge in a responsible way. They both probably thought he was going to force them to take him too. He could tell by their body language, stiff postures and Sakura's fidgeting, that they thought he was about to blow up. Honestly, he wanted to blow up. Why the hell did Sasuke need to leave? There were plenty of people here he could redeem himself to, and there was a lot of good he could do for the village. What was going on in his head?

BUT. Naruto understood, to some extent, that for whatever reason, Sasuke needed to do this. He could understand an innate drive to do something that others couldn't understand. A lot of their friends didn't understand Naruto's drive to become Hokage. It was just something that Naruto had always wanted to do, and he had a strong drive inside himself to achieve it. He also knew how much Sakura desired to go with Sasuke, wherever he went. If Hinata suddenly decided to leave, Naruto would have no choice but to go with her. It was part of loving someone apparently. Thoughts of Hinata drew he back to the present.

He wanted to rant and rail at his teammates. He wanted to make them take him too, but he had his own life to live. He had set himself on the course to become Hokage long ago. He had so much work to achieve before he was even close to being ready for it. He didn't have the time to harrow off on some journey with his friends, no matter how much he wanted to. He and Hinata had also been working on them and their relationship. Naruto had picked out a ring and was planning to ask her to marry him as soon as the time was right. He couldn't leave her. He didn't want to leave.

This was something these two would have to do alone, but he'd be damned if they didn't report back to him regularly to let him know how they were doing. He'd also be damned that he didn't rub it in their faces that they would be alone and were now adults. Adults that could do adult things...wink wink.

"Of course he said Alright. He'd be a complete dumbass to turn you down a second time. Teme might be stupid, but not that stupid. I don't like this, and I'm pissed off at you guys for leaving me behind like this. I expect you both to send updates regularly, or I'm going to have to hunt you down and get my answers. Don't do anything stupid out there, and call for help if you need it. You know I'll come for you."

Sakura's jaw dropped. Sasuke froze in surprise. They had expected an explosion of epic proportions from Naruto. He was their hotheaded knucklehead friend who acted first and asked questions later...much later. His pause of silence had them bracing for the meltdown, but he had acted completely differently than expected. Which, in all honestly, was not that surprising. Naruto never did what others expected of him. He was an energetic enigma. Hand it to him that he would surprise them again at this time.

"Naruto, are you okay?"

"Of course I am Sakura, why would you ask me that? Is it because I'm not yelling and screaming at you guys? Come on. Even I can see that you are both set on this. As much as I want to come with you, I can't leave. Not if I want to become Hokage. Plus, I can't leave Hinata. I want to yell and scream at you guys, and I definitely want to come with you, but I'm mature enough to know I can't do that. Plus, how are you guys ever going to get in bed together with a third wheel following around? Sheesh, even I can read the room here."

Naruto sprung away and shunshinned away before what he said could fully sink in and earn him a fist from either friend. He smirked as he imagined how embarrassed Sakura must be. That smirk morphed into a huge, goofy smile and laughter when he heard Sakura bellow his name behind him. Naruto had every faith that those two would work themselves out and end up rebuilding the Uchiha clan, but it would be a lot easier without a third wheel following after them.

-/b/-

There was a charged moment of silence as Naruto's parting words hung in the air. As soon as they both grasped what he had said, Sakura blushed from her forehead down to her toes and began sputtering. Sasuke's face blanked and he closed his eyes as he tried not to laugh. That stupid dobe was going to get it when Sakura finally snapped out of it. She looked about ready to explode. In Sasuke's opinion, he'd earned whatever Sakura planned after that.

"NARUTOOOOOO!"

Sakura was thanking the powers that be for the calm reaction Naruto was giving them until his final sentence penetrated her brain. 'how are you guys ever going to get in bed together'...get in BED. Her and Sasuke. Together. Inner Sakura short circuited, and the embarrassment threatened to swamp her entire mind. Naruto was suddenly gone and Sakura was staring at Sasuke. He was just standing there with a blank face and closed eyes...HE WAS LAUGHING. Sakura was sure of it. Not a single noise escaped his mouth, and he wasn't looking anywhere, but Sakura was sure that Sasuke was laughing on the inside. Oh, that Naruto. He was going to get it when she caught him.

"I'm going to kill him. Slowly!"

Sakura suddenly shunshinned after Naruto, intent on enacting her revenge on her friend for his deliberate teasing. Sasuke watched her follow Naruto. She was going to beat the shit out of him when she caught him, and she would definitely catch him. The dobe was going to get his comeuppance. Sasuke smiled. Really smiled. No one was there to see it, so he didn't worry about it. Seeing as his future plans did indeed include the two of them in bed, he couldn't really be mad at Naruto. He'd get his own revenge when Naruto finally asked Hinata to marry him. Sasuke wasn't sure how much longer it would take him, but he'd plan his revenge and enact it when the time was right.

Sasuke leisurely followed the direction Naruto and Sakura had left in. Life was looking pretty good right now. He'd enjoy it while it lasted. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect once he and Sakura actually got on the road. Only 2 more days before his life took another interesting turn.